Finally freed, Pussy Riot members lash out at Putin

Two jailed members of Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot were finally freed Monday, after serving most of a grueling two-year sentence for "hooliganism" that sparked an international crusade for their amnesty.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, possibly to ease diplomatic tensions during the upcoming Olympics, freed band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina along with 30 environmental activists and other political prisoners on Thursday—but not before saying he "pitied" the two women for "disgraceful behavior that has degraded the dignity of women."

"I would like to see Putin as a clement leader, but he is far from it," Tolokonnikova told NBC News after her release.

"I see it as a weakness because to free us when we have until two months left is not much after we have served two years. I would see it as a strength if he would free other political prisoners."

Alyokhina echoed the statement, calling the move a "PR stunt" and reportedly stating that she would have rejected the Amnesty if she could.

Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and a third group member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, were arrested after an artistic protest against Putin inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 2012. The protest included a song, "Punk Prayer," that criticized the church's support of Putin's presidency.

But Tolokonnikova may not be interested in getting the group back together. "An artist is not interested in repeating themselves," she told NBC. "I am now a politician. I would like to create a human rights organization that will help political prisoners."

Amnesty International likewise found little to celebrate. "It is difficult to welcome the amnesty law adopted by the Russian Duma today," the organization's Europe and Central Asia director, John Dalhuisen, said in a statement Wednesday. "While it will no doubt benefit many victims of injustice, it will not erase the criminal records of those wrongfully convicted."